The Facts:
Not since the 2002 season have the Broncos used the franchise tag. Place-kicker Jason Elam received a $1.24 million salary that year. Ten years later, it wouldn't be surprising if the Broncos again tag a kicker. Among the Broncos' whopping 17 unrestricted free agents this offseason, Prater is the strongest candidate for the franchise tag.
Reported by the Denver Post
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
As Post staffer Mike Klis notes, the projected salary for a franchised kicker this year is less than $2.6 million - down 19 percent from $3.176 million in 2011. ... Prater said near season's end that after five seasons of kicking on year-to-year deals, he was hoping free agency would bring him the security of a long-term contract. And just because a player is franchised doesn't mean it can't be used as leverage to eventually negotiate a long-term deal. Prater drew a $1.835 million salary as a restricted free agent in 2011, when he had four walkoff field goals for wins, including successful overtime kicks of 52 yards at Miami and 51 yards against the Chicago Bears. He also had a game-tying 59-yarder with three seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime against the Bears. And Prater had the NFL's best kickoff touchback rate: 68.1 percent.
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